Information Resources – Nebraska Library Commission Bloghttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog
Wed, 27 May 2020 16:35:33 +0000en-US
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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.165887984Reopening Your Library During the Pandemichttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/27/reopening-your-library-during-the-pandemic/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/27/reopening-your-library-during-the-pandemic/#respondWed, 27 May 2020 15:16:01 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28600Is your library reopening to the public, or looking for guidance on reopening? We’ve compiled recommendations and guidance from local and national organization, as well as example of policies and procedures being used by other Nebraska libraries here: http://nlc.nebraska.gov/libman/pandemic4libraries.aspx If … Continue reading →

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/27/reopening-your-library-during-the-pandemic/feed/028600Four Ways New Technology Is Revolutionizing the 2020 Censushttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/21/four-ways-new-technology-is-revolutionizing-the-2020-census/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/21/four-ways-new-technology-is-revolutionizing-the-2020-census/#respondThu, 21 May 2020 20:34:21 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28556From scribbled answers in 1790 to online responses in 2020, innovation has always been part of the Census. The Census Bureau has always been a leader in using, adapting and developing new technologies, but the 2020 Census will be the … Continue reading →

From scribbled answers in 1790 to online responses in 2020, innovation has always been part of the Census. The Census Bureau has always been a leader in using, adapting and developing new technologies, but the 2020 Census will be the most sophisticated and high tech yet.

The census began in 1790 with collected information handwritten by U.S. Marshals visiting outposts in every corner of the new nation. Every decade since, the ways the U.S. Census Bureau has tried to meet its goal of counting every person living in the United States have undergone changes as dramatic as the growth of the nation itself.

Through the centuries, the decennial count progressed from in-person collections of handwritten answers to mass mailings of paper questionnaires in 1970. Among other changes along the way: creation of an electrical punch card tabulator for the 1890 Census and the first use by a government agency of the world’s first modern computer – the UNIVAC 1 – for the 1950 Census. It was developed by engineers John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, whose corporation was a division of Remington Rand.

In the previous century, Herman Hollerith, a former Census Office employee, invented a punch card tabulating machine used by the Census Bureau from the 1890 Census forward. Hollerith founded the Tabulating Machine Company, which eventually became International Business Machines (IBM).

America Counts spoke with Robert Colosi, a mathematical statistician in the Census Bureau’s Decennial Statistics Studies Division, about ways technology is revolutionizing the census.

He shared four specific changes that have had a major impact on how the Census Bureau counts everyone once, only once, and in the right place.

Innovation 1: Using Satellite Imagery to Check Addresses

Before the Census Bureau can count every person in the country, it must first collect addresses for every housing unit. One way the Census Bureau uses this address list is to mail census materials, including invitations to respond online, by phone or by mail.

Census Bureau employees used to “canvass” neighborhoods in person, jotting down new addresses and correcting old ones on paper.

This long-running operation, known as Address Canvassing, is one of the ways the Census Bureau updates its Master Address File or MAF. The Census Bureau also works with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to confirm already existing addresses on file.

Address canvassing was costly and time-consuming. Employees traveled a total of 137 million miles to update the MAF before the 2010 Census.

“The number of miles we traveled was astronomical,” Colosi said. “We’re not going to do that for the 2020 Census.”

In 2015, the Census Bureau began using aerial images from a network of satellites.

The Census Bureau developed computer software that allows employees in offices to compare satellite images from 2010 to new ones taken in real time. This helps them identify new houses, apartment buildings and other units to verify in the traditional Address Canvassing operation.

Thanks to the new In-Office Address Canvassing system, census workers reviewed 100% of all addresses in the United States for the 2020 Census and validated 65% in the office, removing them from the in-field workload.

That means workers needed to canvas fewer neighborhoods in person, saving time and money.

Address listers or canvassers hit the streets in August 2019 and completed the operation two months later, on track for the 2020 Census.

Innovation 2: Introducing Online Self-Response

The 2020 Census is the first time everyone has the option to respond to the census online as well as by phone or mail.

The Census Bureau has an Internet Self-Response tool designed to make it easy to complete the questionnaire online and keep responses secure. Directions for responding online will be included in letters, postcards and other mailings sent to most homes beginning in mid-March.

Every response submitted on the internet is encrypted. That means data are changed into a code that only Census Bureau data analysts can read. Responses travel through a secure cloud computer network and the Census Bureau locks them in a “digital vault”.

The Internet Self-Response instrument, the website for completing the census online, is available in English and 12 other languages.

Census Bureau employees, called census response representatives will also provide computers and tablets for access to the Internet Self-Response tool at places like libraries, community centers, health care centers and places of worship. This is particularly helpful in rural and other areas with limited or no internet access.

Innovation 3: Introducing Mobile Devices to Enumeration

From collecting census responses and job applications to storing questionnaires, the Census Bureau has used millions of pieces of paper to gather and file information. Now it relies much more on technology – and much less on paper.

In 2020, census takers who go door-to-door to help people respond will collect information on smartphones using a custom application created by the Census Bureau.

“The Systems Engineering and Integration Team created 52 systems in our ‘system of systems,’” Colosi said. “There’s a whole group of systems related to that one contract of enumeration and operations control. All of it was built by Census Bureau staff and contractors.”

To protect privacy, we encrypt all data and devices require two-factor authentication to be unlocked.

When a device connects to the internet, encrypted data immediately transmits to the Census Bureau’s digital vault – and is no longer on the device. Encrypted data are only stored on the devices until they connect to the internet.

Software in the smartphones also provides specific routes for census takers to follow to visit homes. Optimizing routes in this way helps census takers do their jobs more efficiently.

If a device is lost or stolen, the Census Bureau will remotely wipe it clean of all applications and information.

Innovation 4: New Ways to Protect Data

The Census Bureau is the leading source of quality data about the nation’s people and economy in its many surveys and programs, including the 2020 Census.

Opportunities to share and protect its data continue to grow with technology and innovation, particularly through data mashups.

Data mashups are algorithms that combine different data sources to expand graphical understanding of the data but can also find the origin of a particular set of data.

To protect against that, the Census Bureau has developed processes to protect its data from people who might try to make such mashups. Its Disclosure Avoidance System helps prevent improper disclosure of data. This addition is one of several advances the Census Bureau has made to safeguard an individual’s data.

“When we produced products in the old days, we didn’t have super high-tech and savvy users,” Colosi said. “The idea of computing data mashups to try and combine different data sources to find individual responses was not common. Now it is.”

All responses to the 2020 Census are confidential and protected by law. Title 13 of the Federal Code prohibits the Census Bureau from publishing or disclosing any private information, including names, addresses and telephone numbers.

“Our cybersecurity meets the latest, highest standards for protecting your information,” Census Bureau Chief Information Officer Kevin Smith said. “We work with industry experts to continually review and refine our approach to make sure we are staying ahead of threats and ensuring quick response. From the moment we collect your responses, our goal — and legal obligation — is to keep them safe.”

Census Bureau employees take an oath to keep your answers confidential. Violators face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/21/four-ways-new-technology-is-revolutionizing-the-2020-census/feed/028556Census Bureau Launches COVID-19 Data Hubhttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/21/census-bureau-launches-covid-19-data-hub/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/21/census-bureau-launches-covid-19-data-hub/#respondThu, 21 May 2020 20:10:13 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28551The U.S. Census Bureau has released a new resource page on Census.gov to help federal agencies, businesses, and communities make decisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to the Census Bureau’s resources pages created during natural disasters, this resource page … Continue reading →

The U.S. Census Bureau has released a new resource page on Census.gov to help federal agencies, businesses, and communities make decisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to the Census Bureau’s resources pages created during natural disasters, this resource page includes information on population demographics, economic indicators and businesses.

It features a new interactive data hub that centralizes already-released data from the American Community Survey and the County Business Patterns program to facilitate users’ access to data useful in pandemic-related decision making. The data hub, released as a beta version, will be updated periodically as the situation changes and as feedback is received from users. You can sign up for COVID-19 Data Hub Updates here.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/21/census-bureau-launches-covid-19-data-hub/feed/0285512020 Census Updateshttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/20/2020-census-updates/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/20/2020-census-updates/#respondWed, 20 May 2020 12:47:49 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28520Nebraska is still FIRST in Census responses in our region! Here’s all the latest news from the Census Bureau: [WUD 2020CensusInfogram5.19.20English.pdf]

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/20/2020-census-updates/feed/028520What’s Up Doc? New State Agency Publications at the Nebraska Library Commissionhttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/05/whats-up-doc-new-state-agency-publications-at-the-nebraska-library-commission-6/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/05/whats-up-doc-new-state-agency-publications-at-the-nebraska-library-commission-6/#respondTue, 05 May 2020 20:12:21 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28379New state agency publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for March and April 2020. Included are annual reports from a variety of Nebraska state agencies, economic development reports from the Nebraska Public Power District, Audit reports from … Continue reading →

New state agency publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for March and April 2020. Included are annual reports from a variety of Nebraska state agencies, economic development reports from the Nebraska Public Power District, Audit reports from the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts, and new books from the University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.

Most items, except the books from the University of Nebraska Press, are available for immediate viewing and printing by clicking on the highlighted link above, or directly in the .pdf below. You can read synopses of the books received from the University of Nebraska Press in the Book Briefs blogposts.

The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse in 1972, a service of the Nebraska Library Commission. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and provide access to all public information published by Nebraska state agencies. By law (State Statutes 51-411 to 51-413) all Nebraska state agencies are required to submit their published documents to the Clearinghouse. For more information, visit the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse page, contact Mary Sauers, Government Information Services Librarian; or contact Bonnie Henzel, State Documents Staff Assistant.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/05/whats-up-doc-new-state-agency-publications-at-the-nebraska-library-commission-6/feed/028379Book Briefs: New University of Nebraska Press Books at the Nebraska Publications Clearinghousehttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/05/book-briefs-new-university-of-nebraska-press-books-at-the-nebraska-publications-clearinghouse-5/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/05/05/book-briefs-new-university-of-nebraska-press-books-at-the-nebraska-publications-clearinghouse-5/#respondTue, 05 May 2020 20:07:18 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28382The Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse receives documents every month from all Nebraska state agencies, including the University of Nebraska Press (UNP). Each month we will be showcasing the UNP books that the Clearinghouse receives. UNP books, as well as all Nebraska … Continue reading →

The Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse receives documents every month from all Nebraska state agencies, including the University of Nebraska Press (UNP). Each month we will be showcasing the UNP books that the Clearinghouse receives. UNP books, as well as all Nebraska state documents, are available for checkout by libraries and librarians, for their patrons, in Nebraska.

Here are the UNP books the Clearinghouse received in March and April 2020:

The Better Angels : Five Women Who Changed Civil War America Robert C. Plumb

Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Clara Barton, Julia Ward Howe, and Sarah Josepha Hale came from backgrounds that ranged from abject enslavement to New York City’s elite. Surmounting social and political obstacles, they emerged before and during the worst crisis in American history, the Civil War. Their actions became strands in a tapestry of courage, truth, and patriotism that influenced the lives of millions—and illuminated a new way forward for the nation.

In this collective biography, Robert C. Plumb traces these five remarkable women’s awakenings to analyze how their experiences shaped their responses to the challenges, disappointments, and joys they encountered on their missions. Here is Tubman, fearless conductor on the Underground Railroad, alongside Stowe, the author who awakened the nation to the evils of slavery. Barton led an effort to provide medical supplies for field hospitals, and Union soldiers sang Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic” on the march. And, amid national catastrophe, Hale’s campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday moved North and South toward reconciliation.

Exodus ‘Gbenga Adeoba (Series: African Poetry Book Series)

Winner of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry, ‘Gbenga Adeoba’s collection Exodus focuses on forms of migration due to the slave trade, war, natural disasters, and economic opportunities.

Using the sea as a source of language and metaphor, Adeoba explores themes of memory, transition, and the intersections between the historic and the imagined. With great tenderness and power his poetry of empathy searches for meaning in sharply constructed images, creating scenes of making and unmaking while he investigates experiences of exile and displacement across time and place.

How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences Sue William Silverman (Series: American Lives)

Many are haunted and obsessed by their own eventual deaths, but perhaps no one as much as Sue William Silverman. This thematically linked collection of essays charts Silverman’s attempt to confront her fears of that ultimate unknown. Her dread was fomented in part by a sexual assault, hidden for years, that led to an awareness that death and sex are in some ways inextricable, an everyday reality many women know too well.

Through gallows humor, vivid realism, and fantastical speculation, How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences explores this fear of death and the author’s desire to survive it. From cruising New Jersey’s industry-blighted landscape in a gold Plymouth to visiting the emergency room for maladies both real and imagined to suffering the stifling strictness of an intractable piano teacher, Silverman guards her memories for the same reason she resurrects archaic words—to use as talismans to ward off the inevitable. Ultimately, Silverman knows there is no way to survive death physically. Still, through language, commemoration, and metaphor, she searches for a sliver of transcendent immortality.

In the Mean Time : Temporal Colonization and the Mexican American Literary Tradition Erin Murrah-Mandril (Series: Postwestern Horizons)

The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which transferred more than a third of Mexico’s territory to the United States, deferred full U.S. citizenship for Mexican Americans but promised, “in the mean time,” to protect their property and liberty. Erin Murrah-Mandril demonstrates that the U.S. government deployed a colonization of time in the Southwest to insure political and economic underdevelopment in the region and to justify excluding Mexican Americans from narratives of U.S. progress. In In the Mean Time, Murrah-Mandril contends that Mexican American authors challenged modern conceptions of empty, homogenous, linear, and progressive time to contest U.S. colonization.

Taking a cue from Latina/o and borderlands spatial theories, Murrah-Mandril argues that time, like space, is a socially constructed, ideologically charged medium of power in the Southwest. In the Mean Time draws on literature, autobiography, political documents, and historical narratives composed between 1870 and 1940 to examine the way U.S. colonization altered time in the borderlands.

Rather than reinforce the colonial time structure, early Mexican American authors exploited the internal contradictions of Manifest Destiny and U.S. progress to resist domination and situate themselves within the shifting political, economic, and historical present. Read as decolonial narratives, the Mexican American cultural productions examined in this book also offer a new way of understanding Latina/o literary history.

A Kingdom of Water : Adaptation and Survival in the Houma Nation J. Daniel d’Oney (Series: Indians of the Southeast)

A Kingdom of Water is a study of how the United Houma Nation in Louisiana successfully navigated a changing series of political and social landscapes under French, Spanish, British, and American imperial control between 1699 and 2005. After 1699 the Houma assimilated the French into their preexisting social and economic networks and played a vital role in the early history of Louisiana. After 1763 and Gallic retreat, both the British and Spanish laid claim to tribal homelands, and the Houma cleverly played one empire against the other.

In the early 1700s the Houma began a series of adaptive relocations, and just before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 the nation began their last migration, a journey down Bayou Lafourche. In the early 1800s, as settlers pushed the nation farther down bayous and into the marshes of southeastern Louisiana, the Houma quickly adapted to their new physical environment. After the Civil War and consequent restructuring of class systems, the Houma found themselves caught in a three-tiered system of segregation. Realizing that education was one way to retain lands constantly under assault from trappers and oil companies, the Houma began their first attempt to integrate Terrebonne Parish schools in the early twentieth century, though their situation was not resolved until five decades later. In the early twenty-first century, the tribe is still fighting for federal recognition.

In this groundbreaking collection of poems, Sacrament of Bodies, Romeo Oriogun fearlessly interrogates how a queer man in Nigeria can heal in a society where everything is designed to prevent such restoration. With honesty, precision, tenderness of detail, and a light touch, Oriogun explores grief and how the body finds survival through migration.

The Soul of the Indian : An Interpretation Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa) (Series: Bison Classic Editions)

The Soul of the Indian is Charles A. Eastman’s exploration and documentation of religion as he experienced it during the late nineteenth century. A Dakota physician and writer who sought to bring understanding between Native and non-Native Americans, Eastman (1858–1939) became one of the best-known Native Americans of his time and a significant intellectual figure whose clarity of vision endures today.

In a straightforward manner Eastman emphasizes the universal quality and personal appeal of his Dakota religious heritage. First published in 1911, The Soul of the Indian draws on his childhood teaching and ancestral ideals to counter the research written by outsiders who treated the Dakotas’ ancient worldviews chiefly as a matter of curiosity. Eastman writes with deep respect for his ancestors and their culture and history, including a profound reverence for the environment, animals, and plants. Though written more than a century ago, Eastman could be speaking to our own time with its spiritual confusion and environmental degradation. The new introduction by Brenda J. Child grounds this important book in contemporary studies.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/29/the-2020-census-is-still-going-strong/feed/028318A Phased Library Reopening Planhttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/27/a-phased-library-reopening-plan/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/27/a-phased-library-reopening-plan/#respondMon, 27 Apr 2020 19:06:19 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28279Many Nebraska libraries have closed their buildings to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic; some stopped all physical services completely, and others developed alternative services. The Nebraska Library Commission has put together some guidance of how libraries can begin to … Continue reading →

]]>Many Nebraska libraries have closed their buildings to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic; some stopped all physical services completely, and others developed alternative services. The Nebraska Library Commission has put together some guidance of how libraries can begin to reopen their buildings and restore services.

This plan will provide a phased outline of how full services could be restored as the health crisis eases and social distancing measures end. It can be used as a starting point for library directors and their boards to determine the specific course of action their library will take to serve their community during and after the pandemic.

Disclaimer: This document is intended as guidance only. The Nebraska Library Commission does not have the authority to mandate that libraries close or open in any capacity. Library directors should work with their library boards, local government, and local health departments to determine their course of action. Libraries may modify this plan to suit their needs.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/27/a-phased-library-reopening-plan/feed/028279OverDrive Datahttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/22/overdrive-data/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/22/overdrive-data/#respondWed, 22 Apr 2020 17:00:26 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28257For today, we are looking at some data as it relates to libraries offering alternative services during the COVID-19 crisis. Specifically, we are looking at a potential shift to electronic resources, in this case, OverDrive. But first, I want to … Continue reading →

]]>For today, we are looking at some data as it relates to libraries offering alternative services during the COVID-19 crisis. Specifically, we are looking at a potential shift to electronic resources, in this case, OverDrive. But first, I want to provide a link to the fantastic data that is being put out by the Nebraska Department of Labor. From the DOL main page, I was looking mostly under their resources, then INFOLink pages, for raw data about unemployment statistics and claims. Next, I found their visualizations, which are excellent, and detail unemployment claims by county with maps, and some very illustrative charts. If you have a chance, visit their visualizations HERE.

Now, to OverDrive. From my colleague here at NLC, I got some data about new OverDrive users, and OverDrive circulations. I was curious to see if there was a correlation between new users and circulations as many libraries shut down operations or offered modified services, such as curbside pickups. The first graphic illustrates libraries with new OverDrive users, and the total number of new users, for the weeks beginning in January, 2020:

As the chart illustrates, there was a spike during the week of March 14 – 21, then a leveling off. Next, I looked at OverDrive circulations, and you guessed it, they increased:

But wait. There’s more to this chart. For this one, I visualized the data from the previous 2 years, 2018 and 2019. If we look at March, we see the large spike in OverDrive circulations from 2019 to 2020, but it helps to put this in perspective. Between March, 2018 and March, 2019, circulations increased at a rate of 15.07%. From March, 2019 to March, 2020, circulations increased at a rate of 17.33%. So a slightly higher percentage of circulation growth compared to the prior year. For February, the 18-19 increase (17.98%) was higher than the 19-20 increase (12.15%). April data might be the telling point to look at, and I intend to post about that when it becomes available.

]]>Learn more about using NebraskAccess databases and share this information with all of your library users!

NebraskAccess provides Nebraska residents with free 24/7 access to premium databases containing thousands of full text popular magazine and journal articles; primary source documents; genealogical, health, legal, small business, and science resources; reading recommendations; and research resources for K-12 students. These resources are available to Nebraska residents at no cost. The Nebraska Library Commission purchases subscriptions for Nebraskans with funding from the State of Nebraska and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

NebraskAccess also offers ALL site visitors access to a directory of
topically-arranged websites evaluated and compiled by Nebraska Library
Commission reference librarians, and links to full text Nebraska state
government publications and digitized Nebraska historical resources.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/15/getting-started-with-nebraskaccess/feed/0282112020 Census Operational Adjustmentshttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/15/2020-census-operational-adjustments/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/15/2020-census-operational-adjustments/#respondWed, 15 Apr 2020 13:12:13 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28215The 2020 Census is underway and more households across America are responding every day. Over 70 million households have responded to date, representing over 48% of all households in America. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Census Bureau … Continue reading →

The 2020 Census is underway and more households across America are responding every day. Over 70 million households have responded to date, representing over 48% of all households in America. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Census Bureau is adjusting 2020 Census operations in order to:

• Protect the health and safety of the American public and Census Bureau employees. • Implement guidance from federal, state and local authorities. • Ensure a complete and accurate count of all communities.

The Census Bureau temporarily suspended 2020 Census field data collection activities in March. Steps are already being taken to reactivate field offices beginning June 1, 2020, in preparation for the resumption of field data collection operations as quickly as possible following June 1.

In-person activities, including all interaction with the public, enumeration, office work and processing activities, will incorporate the most current guidance to promote the health and safety of staff and the public. This will include recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing practices.

Once 2020 Census data collection is complete, the Census Bureau begins a lengthy, thorough and scientifically rigorous process to produce the apportionment counts, redistricting information and other statistical data products that help guide hundreds of billions of dollars in public and private sector spending per year.

In order to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau is seeking statutory relief from Congress of 120 additional calendar days to deliver final apportionment counts.

Under this plan, the Census Bureau would extend the window for field data collection and self-response to October 31, 2020, which will allow for apportionment counts to be delivered to the President by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31, 2021.

The American Democracy Project is sponsoring a video contest to promote awareness for the U.S. Census! Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place entries; all videos will be judged on accuracy, creativity, and use of visuals/sound. All entries should be submitted to adp@unk.edu by April 24, 2020.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/13/american-democracy-project-video-contest-to-promote-the-2020-census/feed/028208CCC Library Information Services Classeshttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/08/ccc-library-information-services-classes-2/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/08/ccc-library-information-services-classes-2/#respondWed, 08 Apr 2020 15:00:00 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28173Central Community College announces classes for the Library and Information Services program for Fall 2020. Registration opens April 14, 2020 for classes beginning August 17, 2020. All classes are online and can be applied to a Central Community College Associate … Continue reading →

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/08/ccc-library-information-services-classes-2/feed/028173Friday Reads: The Other Family, by Loretta Nyhanhttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/03/friday-reads-the-other-family-by-loretta-nyhan/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/03/friday-reads-the-other-family-by-loretta-nyhan/#respondFri, 03 Apr 2020 16:12:37 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28149“With a dissolving marriage, strained finances, and her life in flux, Ally Anderson longs for normal. Her greatest concerns, though, are the health problems of her young daughter, Kylie. Symptoms point to a compromised immune system, but every doctor they’ve … Continue reading →

“With a dissolving marriage, strained finances, and her life in flux, Ally Anderson longs for normal. Her greatest concerns, though, are the health problems of her young daughter, Kylie. Symptoms point to a compromised immune system, but every doctor they’ve seen has a different theory. Then comes hope for some clarity.

It’s possible that Kylie’s illness is genetic, but Ally is adopted. A DNA test opens up an entirely new path. And where it leads is a surprise: to an aunt Ally never knew existed. She’s a little wild, very welcoming, and ready to share more of the family history than Ally ever imagined.

Coping with a skeptical soon-to-be-ex husband, weathering the resistance of her adoptive mother, and getting maddeningly close to the healing Kylie needs, Ally is determined to regain control of her life. This is her chance to embrace uncertainty and the beauty of family – both the one she was born into and the one she chose.” (Audible)

This book caught my eye because I too was adopted, and as usual, I read and listened to it. I was caught up immediately in the story, and while there are some minor problems with the editing of the audio version, it still held my attention from start to finish.

There are many different ways, and reasons why, adoptees search for their biological families. In Ally’s case, she is desperately looking for answers to explain her daughter’s life-threatening allergic reactions. Ally is so desperate in fact, that she turns to an alternative approach: meditation and desensitization therapy. Through all of the anxiety and uncertainty regarding Kylie’s new treatment, Ally finds not only her “other family,” but her inner strength. That strength helps her resolve issues with her ex, her mom, and her ability to move forward with her life.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/03/friday-reads-the-other-family-by-loretta-nyhan/feed/028149Online Storytimes To Share With Your Littlest Patronshttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/02/online-storytimes-to-share-with-your-littlest-patrons/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/02/online-storytimes-to-share-with-your-littlest-patrons/#respondThu, 02 Apr 2020 13:50:02 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28138Storytime is a beloved library tradition for many of our youngest patrons and their parents. With libraries closing their doors to in-person gatherings, many storytimes are going online. We are rounding up resources to help you find online storytimes or … Continue reading →

Storytime is a beloved library tradition for many of our youngest patrons and their parents. With libraries closing their doors to in-person gatherings, many storytimes are going online. We are rounding up resources to help you find online storytimes or create your own.

Many publishers are relaxing their permissions during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow books to be read aloud online, in addition to the numerous authors and celebreties sharing videos of themselves reading.

Please visit our new page for links to read-alouds and publisher information, plus sources of free ebooks and audiobooks for all ages. If you have additional resources we should list, please let us know!

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/02/online-storytimes-to-share-with-your-littlest-patrons/feed/028138Today, April 1st, 2020, is CENSUS DAY!http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/01/today-april-1st-2020-is-census-day/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/01/today-april-1st-2020-is-census-day/#respondWed, 01 Apr 2020 14:06:47 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28127The official Census Day for the 2020 Census has finally arrived! PLEASE respond to your invitation to participate in the 2020 Census! Even though we are living in a different time right now, it is still vitally important that we … Continue reading →

Even though we are living in a different time right now, it is still vitally important that we all respond to the Census. For the next 10 years the results from the 2020 Census will determine how billions of dollars will be distributed back to the states, and how local, state, and federal government will be affected.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/04/01/today-april-1st-2020-is-census-day/feed/028127A History of the Census in the United States : Part 23http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/31/a-history-of-the-census-in-the-united-states-part-23/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/31/a-history-of-the-census-in-the-united-states-part-23/#respondTue, 31 Mar 2020 13:13:18 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28092The Twenty-Third Census: Census Day was April 1, 2010. Enumeration The 2010 census questionnaire was one of the shortest in history – asking just 10 questions of all households in the United States and Island Areas related to name, gender, … Continue reading →

Barack H. Obama was President of the United Stateson Census Day, April 1, 2010.

Enumeration

The 2010 census questionnaire was one of the shortest in history – asking just 10 questions of all households in the United States and Island Areas related to name, gender, age, race, ethnicity, relationship, and whether you own or rent your home. Collection of data about education, housing, jobs, etc. collected by previous censuses long-form questionnaires are now collected by the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey.

In addition to the reduced number of questions, the Census Bureau announced it would count same-sex married couples in June 2009. When noting the relationship between household members, same-sex couples who are married could mark their spouses as being “Husband or wife”, the same response given by opposite-sex married couples. An “unmarried partner” option was available for couples (whether same-sex or opposite-sex) who were not married.

Marketing and Promotional Efforts

Following the success of Census 2000’s advertising, the 2010 census featured a $133 million, 4-month advertising campaign. Although officially beginning January 18, 2010, the advertising campaign debuted the night of January 17 during NBC’s Golden Globe Awards broadcast.

In total, the 2010 advertising campaign included television, radio, print, outdoor and the Internet advertising, produced in an unprecedented 28 languages. More than half of the budgeted advertising would target media consumed by minority and ethnic audiences. The Census Bureau anticipated that the campaign would reach the average person 42 times with messages about the importance of participating in the census.

From Super Bowl XLIV and the 2010 Winter Olympics, to popular primetime shows, the 2010 Census advertising campaign represented the most extensive and diverse outreach campaign in U.S. history. The advertising rollout also included updates on other outreach efforts, such as the Census in Schools program, “Portrait of America” Road Tour, and the national and regional partnership programs targeted at reaching hard-to-count populations.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/31/a-history-of-the-census-in-the-united-states-part-23/feed/028092A History of the Census in the United States : Part 22http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/31/a-history-of-the-census-in-the-united-states-part-22/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/31/a-history-of-the-census-in-the-united-states-part-22/#respondTue, 31 Mar 2020 12:50:59 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28086The Twenty-Second Census: Census Day was April 1, 2000. Enumeration The short form contained only seven questions, the shortest census questionnaire since 1820. The long form asked 52 questions of approximately 1 in 6 households (approximately a 17 percent sample … Continue reading →

William J. Clinton was President of the United Stateson Census Day, April 1, 2000.

Enumeration

The short form contained only seven questions, the shortest census questionnaire since 1820. The long form asked 52 questions of approximately 1 in 6 households (approximately a 17 percent sample of the population). In previous censuses, responses to the race question were limited to a single category; in 2000, for the first time, respondents could check as many boxes as necessary to identify their race. A 1996 law mandated a new question on grandparents as care givers. Questions on disability were expanded to include hearing and vision impairment and problems with learning, remembering or concentrating. Questions on children ever born, source of water, sewage disposal and condominium status, were dropped; the 1990 census short form question on rent and property value became a long form question.

Efforts to Improve Participation

To counter a decline in the questionnaire mail-back rate, the Census Bureau embarked on an aggressive paid advertising campaign, awarding a $167 million contract to the Young and Rubicam Company for national and local print, television and public advertising campaign. This campaign consisted of more than 250 television, print, radio, outdoor, and other advertisements in 17 languages; it reached 99 percent of all U.S. residents. By the end of the campaign, the census message – “This is your future. Don’t leave it blank.” – had been seen or heard an average of 50 times per person. This campaign, along with an aggressive non-response follow-up program, brought the mail-back rate up to about 67 percent.

There were additional options for responding to the census. People receiving the short form could respond on the Internet, and about 70,000 households did so. Telephone questionnaire assistance centers provided questionnaire help in 6 languages and took responses to the short form over the phone.’

Reengineered Census Plan for 2000

Following the costly litigation generated by the 1980 and 1990 censuses, particularly that which sought statistical adjustment of the census counts to correct for persons estimated to have been missed or duplicated, the Census Bureau designed a plan for the 2000 census that it believed would eliminate the possibility of litigation. The Census Bureau’s May 1995 plan for a “reengineered census” was the culmination of a four-year process of discussion and review of census plans by a broad spectrum of experts, advisors, and stakeholders. The plan was further refined and on February 28, 1996, Commerce and Census Bureau officials made public.

The Plan for Census 2000

The plan called for using statistical sampling techniques in two principal ways. The first was to alter the traditional 100-percent personal visit of non-responding households during nonresponse followup (NRFU). Instead, a small percentage of non-responding households would be followed up on a sample basis. Information from this sample would be used to estimate the number of persons and their characteristics in the remaining non-responding households.

The second involved the Census Bureau taking a sample of 750,000 housing units to be matched to housing unit questionnaires obtained from mail and telephone responses as well as personal visits. The goal of this quality check survey was to develop adjustment factors for persons estimated to have been missed or duplicated in the census and correct the census counts to produce one set of numbers. This was to be a “one-number census,” corrected for net coverage errors, that is, Integrated Coverage Measurement (ICM). ICM was a significant departure from 1990, when the results of the post-enumeration survey (PES) were used to produce a separate set of statistically adjusted counts after the delivery of the apportionment counts and redistricting data. This resulted in two competing sets of population numbers.

Congressional Opposition to the Census 2000 Plan

Beginning with the fiscal year (FY) 1997 appropriations process, the congressional majority included language in appropriations legislation that would prohibit the use of sampling in Census 2000 or the expenditure of funds for Census 2000 sampling-related planning activities.

Debate over the sampling issue postponed passage of the Commerce Department’s FY 1998 appropriations bill until the end of November 1997, two months into the new fiscal year. With the threat of a stalemate between the congressional leadership and the Clinton administration in the debate over the use of statistical sampling in Census 2000, the two sides reached a compromise in the enacted legislation. The legislation, among other things, permitted the Census Bureau to continue to plan for sampling, while directing the agency to plan for a census without statistical sampling. This was later referred to as “dual-track” planning.

The law also set up an eight-member “Census Monitoring Board” to observe and monitor all aspects of the planning and implementation of Census 2000.

Litigation and Revision to the Census 2000 Plan

Two lawsuits were filed in February 1998 – including one filed by the U.S. House of Representatives – that challenged the constitutionality and legality of the planned uses of sampling to produce the apportionment counts. In both cases, the federal district courts decided for the plaintiffs. The Department of Commerce sought review of the district court decisions by the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the cases, and oral argument took place on November 30, 1998. On January 25, 1999, the Court held in Department of Commerce v. U.S. House of Representatives that the Census Bureau’s proposed plan to use statistical sampling in the decennial census for purposes of determining congressional apportionment violates the Census Act (the Census Bureau’s authorizing statute).

Thus, the Census Bureau could no longer pursue its Census 2000 plan that included the Integrated Coverage Measurement (ICM) program and sampling for nonresponse followup. However, following the Supreme Court ruling, the Census Bureau issued a revised plan in which it stated that it planned to produce statistically adjusted data for non-apportionment uses of census data, including redistricting. But in March 2001, following the delivery of the apportionment counts, the Census Bureau recommended against the use of the adjusted data for redistricting, because of concerns regarding their accuracy. The secretary of commerce accepted the recommendation and determined that the unadjusted data would be released as the Census Bureau’s official redistricting data. In October 2001, after considering the possible use of the adjusted data for non-redistricting purposes – for example, their incorporation in the Census 2000 long-form (sample) data products – the Census Bureau director rejected the use of the adjusted data for such purposes.

Technological Advances

The Internet became the principal dissemination medium for 2000 census data. All four of the detailed data files, now called Summary Files, were available to be downloaded as soon as they were released. Individual tables could be viewed through the Census Bureau’s online database, known as the American FactFinder. Additionally these files were available for purchase on CD-ROM and DVD. The number of printed publications was reduced and the number of printed pages in the report series was by about one-tenth of the 1990 census publication program.

Further Information

The History of Census 2000 is published in two volumes. Volume 1 [PDF 14.3MB] contains chapters one through six, and Volume 2 [PDF 5.7MB] contains chapters seven through twelve.

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/31/a-history-of-the-census-in-the-united-states-part-22/feed/028086NEW 2020 CENSUS UPDATEhttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/27/new-2020-census-update/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/27/new-2020-census-update/#respondFri, 27 Mar 2020 17:24:24 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28072There’s a new timeline for responding to the 2020 Census in the .pdf below, and Nebraska is still #1 in our region! Spread the word–respond to the 2020 Census today! [WUD 2020CensusInfogram.pdf]

]]>http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/27/new-2020-census-update/feed/028072COVID-19 Data and Mapshttp://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/24/covid-19-data-and-maps/
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/03/24/covid-19-data-and-maps/#respondTue, 24 Mar 2020 20:07:15 +0000http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/?p=28027As a result of COVID-19, we are collecting data about library closures, modified schedules, and alternative services. For updates to your schedule, submit this form. The data is available here. Additionally, we are updating maps with this data (every few … Continue reading →

Finally, there are some questions about collecting data and statistics for the next public library survey. Undoubtedly, there will be declines in some numbers (visits) and likely increases in others (electronic circulation). One common question thus far is how to count online or virtual programs. If the online program is a planned event, then you count it as a regular in-person program. Count everyone in virtual attendance. If other services are offered remotely, those might be counted as reference transactions, depending on the nature of the Q&A.